Author's Note: This is the second update of the day. Begging for votes, subscriptions, and rewards!
If anyone remembered, this Rick Guard was one of the new recruits of the Rick Guard during Laing's first visit to Brittany. After that, he was ordered to escort Laing when he left. Rudolph did not fail his mission. During the battle of the plague in Helmgard, he and another Rick Guard recruit, Wagner, successfully gathered the remaining troops and repelled the Skaven Ratmen in the battle of the Church of Justice. Their achievements were outstanding, and they were praised by the Empire's army.
After the battle of Helmgard, Rudolph and Wagner walked different paths. Rudolph stayed behind and became a captain of the Empire, while Wagner chose to go to Nur after Emmanuelle appeared. He pledged his loyalty to Emmanuelle and also became a Master Engineer.
It had only been four to five years since they joined the army, but the speed at which these two new recruits of the Reich Guard were being promoted was like a rocket, causing many of the Empire's soldiers to be envious, jealous, and hateful. However, that was the truth. As the children of great nobles, they were able to take a huge shortcut in their official career. What was even worse was that these two children of great nobles not only had the natural advantage of their family and status, but they were also very capable. Whether it was their bravery or their ability to command, they had good upbringing and were willing to invest in military training since they were young. After all, ever since the Savior Ludwig's military reforms, the nobles of the Empire placed the most importance on military achievements. At banquets, nobles who had never fought in battle would be looked down upon and made fun of.
It was getting harder and harder for commoners to stand out.
Obion Island was an island that was always shrouded in fog. It was located to the west of Nords and Nords, and was not very far from the Brittany Duchy of Connet. There were some natives on the island. These people were called the Truth Sayers. They were not humans of the Old World. Instead, they were exiled from Lucia by the ancient saint. They knew some basic magic. As Obion Island was always shrouded in fog, the humans of the Old World believed that the ancient saint's relics and relics were left on the island. The chief wizard of the Empire, Cernus Gehrman, had led an infantry regiment to explore the island. He estimated that he should be back soon, unless he did not want to compete for the position of chief wizard of the Empire.
Therefore, Archbishop Vikmar did not think too much about it. In principle, the Church would not interfere with the emperor's internal affairs. However, Vikmar did not plan to leave. He sat on the sofa and stared at the emperor, who was about five meters away, without a word.
The ink bottle and the quill in it were pushed to Rudolph. The emperor grinned. He sat on the chair and said in a relaxed tone, "Did Gehrman find anything?"
"Sir Gehrman led the army and almost lost their way in the fog." Rudolph moved his body slightly to the side. This way, his muscular body blocked the view of Vikmar and the emperor. "After some losses, Sir Gehrman successfully built a port camp and named it 'Newland'."
"Oh, is that so?" The emperor nodded unhurriedly. He pushed the parchment forward. "Tell me, what did Gehrman find?"
"There are some relics and mechanisms left behind by the ancient saint on the island." Rudolph picked up the quill and wrote on the parchment. "However, due to the language barrier, the strange hieroglyphs could not be deciphered and understood. Naturally, the mechanisms left behind by the ancient saint could not be opened."
Rik gripped the quill and quickly wrote on the parchment. Emperor Karl-franz knew what was going on. The emperor continued, "So you didn't find anything? Then what about the natives? Can they communicate with them? "
"There is no way to communicate with them," Rudolph said in a muffled voice.
"No one knows their language?" The emperor smiled a little strangely.
"No one knows. These natives don't seem to trust anything with two legs at all. Their magic isn't particularly powerful, but they are very good at transforming into birds and fighting in the mist. Mr. Gehrman is in trouble, so he can only return without any results for now," Rudolph said slowly, one word at a time, which was not his usual style.
When he finished speaking, Rudolph calmly put the quill back into the ink bottle and pushed the parchment forward.
The emperor reached out and took it. He quietly glanced at Archbishop Vikmar who was sitting on the sofa. When he saw that the archbishop's line of sight was blocked by Rudolph, he lowered his head and looked at the parchment.
"Report from the scouts! The supreme dean of the Academy of Light, Otto, has gathered a large group of mercenaries and is stationed in the Blood Pine Forest! There are many battle priests and Paladins in the army! Does this have anything to do with the upcoming grand wizard competition? "
Karl-franz's hand trembled slightly. The emperor's gaze was as sharp as a sword, but he quickly withdrew it. He nodded and said in a gentle voice, "I understand. Gehrman has worked hard to expand the territory of the Empire and explore Obion Island."
The emperor naturally picked up the quill and made a big tick on the parchment.
"How long will it take for the supreme dean of the Flame Academy and his subordinates to arrive?" The emperor handed the parchment back to Rudolph.
"Probably a few more days." Rudolph saw the tick on the parchment and knew what was going on.
"Then, what is Gehrman's request? Or should I say, what do the soldiers think?" The emperor calmly pushed the ink bottle and parchment back to Rudolph.
"Your Majesty, the general of the Empire and Marshal Helberg both feel that this is a threat. We should send out our troops to eliminate them," Rudolph said righteously. "Otherwise, they will bring us trouble sooner or later!"
Archbishop Vicmar, who was sitting far away, found it strange. Emperor Karl-franz had always dealt with internal affairs swiftly and decisively. Why was he so hesitant today? Why did he have to repeatedly ask for the opinions of his subordinates?
However, the church did not interfere with the internal affairs of the Empire. This was an unwritten rule. Since the emperor did not ask for his opinion, Vicmar could only wait. He decided to close his eyes and rest.
Rudolph's hands did not stop moving as he spoke. Soon, another parchment was placed in front of the emperor.
The emperor took it and stole a glance at Archbishop Vicmar again. Seeing that the archbishop was resting with his eyes closed and brows furrowed, he immediately began to read the contents of the parchment.
"Otto has the support of the Church of Justice. This army has thousands of people. Should we ask Marshal Helberg to lead the Brunswick army to surround and control this army? And capture Otto as well? "
The emperor pondered for a moment and slowly said, "Although the natives of Obien know how to cast spells, they have not received any signs of Chaos corruption. Although he has some troops under his command, they are not considered elite troops. They will not be a threat to us."
After saying that, the emperor gently made an 'X' on the parchment and shook his head.
"But will this make them think that our Empire is too weak?" Rudolph was a little anxious. Guard Rik asked, "If we leave them alone, it will damage the reputation of our Empire and Your Majesty."
"The Empire is not my Empire alone. It is the Empire of all the people of the Empire." The emperor raised his head and looked at the archbishop who was resting with his eyes closed. He then nodded and smiled at Rudolph. "Now is the crucial time for the Grand Wizard Competition. Do not summon the army or send them out without permission. If Gehrman really needs it, he will come to me."
"Understood." Rudolph nodded silently. He thought for a moment and then said, "Due to the Grand Wizard Competition, the security in Brunswick is not very good. Should we mobilize more troops to maintain the security?"
"This is indeed a matter of great importance." Karl-franz nodded with a serious expression. "Go and tell Helberg that he will be in charge of this matter."
"Then … Can I say that I am under Your Majesty's order?" Rudolph asked.
"Yes." The emperor nodded. He thought for a moment and added, "By the way, also send a message to Galt. Tell him that the new gunpowder he is researching is gradually being used. Tell him to pay attention to it. If necessary, let the soldiers listen to his instructions on how to use the new gunpowder."
"Understood." Rudolph put away the two parchments and held them in his hand. He took a few steps back, bowed, and turned around to leave. Before he left, he nodded and smiled at Archbishop Wickmar as a greeting.
Archbishop Vikma nodded. Seeing that Rudolph had left, the archbishop did not plan to stay any longer. He stood up and said, "Karl, you're busy. I won't stay any longer. As for appointing Otto as the new chief wizard of the royal family, you can reconsider."
"I will, Your Majesty Wickmar." Emperor Karl-franz immediately put on his usual bright smile. "Let me send you off."
"No need, no need." Wickmar waved his hand, indicating that the emperor did not need to send him off. He turned around and quickly left the study.
Karl-franz smiled and sat back on his chair. He looked around and his expression gradually became gloomy.
He knew why the Church of Justice supported Ordo. They even did not hesitate to send Holy Knights and battle priests to help him. They even helped him gather an army.
It all started from the "Dark Lord" Egrim incident. It was during that incident that Ordo and Kant found out about Egrim's corruption. At that time, Ordo and Kant, two Light Wizards, discussed and decided to go against the rules of the Royal Wizard Academy and ask for help from the Church of Justice.
In the end, Egrim was defeated, and half of the wizards in the Academy of Light were killed by Wickmar. Naturally, the relationship between the new Academy of Light and the Church of Justice reached its peak. Archbishop Wickmar began to try to reach the hands of the Church of Justice into the territory of the Empire's wizards. This time, it was not surprising that he supported Ordo.
Today's situation made the emperor feel extremely humiliated. In his own palace, in his own study, in front of his desk, he actually had to use such a method to communicate with his Guard Rick.
He was really sullen as the emperor of the Empire!
However, this was also where Karl-franz was helpless.
As everyone knew, the emperor of the Empire was elected by the Kurfürst. The original intention of the Kurfürst system was to ensure that the Empire was facing enemies from all sides. Under internal and external troubles, there would be an emperor that everyone trusted and could ensure the safety of the country.
However, as time went on, the Kurfürst system had changed. In order to get enough votes, the candidates for the throne had to make a lot of promises and offers to the Kurfürst to ensure that they would vote for them. This led to many times when the emperor had just ascended the throne, he was already "heavily in debt". In the past two thousand years, the authority of the Empire's emperor had been constantly weakening. In fact, what Karl-franz could manage was still the Rick Province that he owned, and he was still ruling with the title of Grand Prince Rick.
This was how the old Empire died. After Ludwig's military reform, the new Empire strengthened the emperor's authority and his control over the military aristocrats. When he was on the throne, Ludwig's will was widespread throughout the Empire, but he did not change the Kurfürst system. Therefore, when Ludwig abdicated, the Kurfürst forgot the pain after the wound healed, and the emperor began to face the problem of canvassing votes, promises, and bribery, which weakened the emperor's authority.
Many people thought that the Empire was centralized, but in fact, it was not at all. The Empire was just a loose confederation. As for whether or not they recognized the emperor's supreme authority, it depended on whether the Kurfürst needed it and whether they were in a good mood. After ascending the throne, Emperor Karl relied on a series of great military victories and diplomatic skills to barely strengthen the emperor's authority.
Therefore, he could not offend the Church of Justice too much. When Karl-franz and Boris Todbringer were at a disadvantage in the competition for the throne, Archbishop Wickmar persuaded the other two churches, Archbishop Aglima and Archbishop Kars Laing, to drop three votes and complete the reversal of the situation.
In return, Karl-franz, of course, had to be extremely respectful to Archbishop Wickmar. He also had to give in on many things. After all, he was the creditor, and he was the debtor.
"Sigh …" The emperor sighed. He leaned on the soft sofa and thought of the meeting with Laing a few days ago.
On the contrary, he was very envious of Laing. Laing was the grand knight of the Holy Grail in the Sanctuary. His strength was outstanding, and his personal prestige was unparalleled. More importantly, Laing was able to receive the full support of the Church of the Fairy in the Lake.
How did he do it? Karl-franz was very puzzled by Laing's sudden rise in power. Ten years ago, Laing was still an ordinary knight of the kingdom in Marlin Castle. Ten years later, he was about to become the king! The nobles, merchants, and churches of the entire kingdom had already submitted to him.
And the only people he could trust were still the Empire's army, and it was limited to the Empire's army in the Rick territory. At most, there was Galt.
It was difficult to be the emperor!
Karl-franz rolled his eyes and shouted outside, "Come!"
"Yes, Your Majesty, what are your orders?" Immediately, a servant ran in from outside.
"Call Helena and the children!" Karl-franz waved his hand and said, "Go to the Royal Hotel and find Duke Laing! Let the children meet and make friends! "
"Yes!"
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